News

Craig Ferguson is drawn to Hollywood

Craig Ferguson, the Scots-born US chat show host, is joining the Hollywood big leagues with a part in the latest animated film by DreamWorks.

Ferguson will voice a character in How to Train Your Dragon, this year's big release from the studio behind the multi-million pound Shrek franchise.

The Glasgow-born comic will play Gobber the Belch, a viking who trains young recruits to slay dragons. He will be joined by the Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who will also play a Norseman. Butler, the Paisley-born star of the Spartan epic 300, first met Ferguson 25 years ago at his stand-up gigs, while he was a student at Glasgow University.

Ferguson, a recovering alcoholic, is branching out into movies following his success as presenter of The Late Late Show on CBS. He is about to sign a new two-year deal with the network on a reported salary of £4m a year. Last